How would you spend an extra bank holiday?

As we prepare for the final bank holiday of the summer the TUC and voluntary sector organisations are stepping up their calls for a new Community Day holiday in October.

The gap between the August bank holiday and Christmas can seem almost endless if you’ve used up all your annual leave entitlement.

Fans of the proposed new Community Day say it will help plug the longest gap without a public holiday in the year and celebrate the contribution community and voluntary groups make to the country.

They suggest the new bank holiday could be used to encourage people to volunteer, provide an opportunity for voluntary groups to publicise their work and help us all to recognise the importance of volunteers and community groups.

Jan Blackburn, volunteer development manager at NCH, says the Community Day would make a huge difference. She adds: “If every one of our thousands of existing volunteers had an extra day to give, children and young people could get more support from their mentors, local NCH playgroups would be able to provide more activities and our volunteer drivers could give more children a fun day out.”

The TUC points out that the UK has three fewer bank holidays than the EU average and a new holiday in October would also give parents a day off at half term.

It seems a great idea to me. I would absolutely support another bank holiday, in fact why not make it two or three? Dedicating it to volunteering also seems smart. If I felt that this was a day set aside for volunteering then there would be more chance I would be diverted away from the afternoon film, the pub or a misguided attempt to drive down to the coast.

Personally, I think a volunteering opportunity that got me out of the office – something in a field perhaps, would be most suitable. But how would you spend the day?

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